Brad, you seem to proposing that the market should be viewed as part of society, responsible to society, and not the other way around. What a radical thought!
Ed ----- Original Message ----- From: "Brad McCormick, Ed.D." <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Ed Weick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Christoph Reuss" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, September 13, 2003 7:21 AM Subject: Re: [Futurework] Free Trade kills :: Why not :economy games" like "war games" instead of economy like war? > Ed Weick wrote: > > An article in the NYTimes yesterday made the point that dropping subsidies > > to first world farmers and barriers against third world food imports will > > simply encourage agribusiness to move into the third world and displace > > small scale agriculture. Small farmers who now at least (barely) maintain > > themselves will flock to the slums of huge third world cities. > [snip] > > Cannot we say that the resource allocating *computer* of the > free market, insofar as it uses real living persons as the > individual transisters in its central processing unit, > randomly kills everybody depending on the MTF (Mean TIme to > Failure) of a particular circuit at a given time. > > But isn't there another way? Can't we let the free market > allocate resources, but let the wellbeing of the individuals > who are the transisters, be provided for by a comprehensive > social safety new which provides parachutes for all, and, > in a rich society like ours, why not at least silver if > not gold parachutes for all? > > Let companies compete to the death to produce the cheapest > artery stent or other nuclear power plant > or other widget (so that when a surgeon installs that stent in your > -- or maybe even Dick Cheney's -- > body it will fail to perform and you will die as a > logical result > of market rationality.... But pay persons to participate, > not pay them according to the results of their participation > (which they cannot geenrally control, since if you sign > on with the wining company you will win a raise, whereas if you > sign on with the losing company you will lose your job even > if you do a better job there). > > O, Free Marketeers! Cant' you be satisfied with war games, > like the military, instead of having to go out and > concoct real wars (corporate competitions where the > workers in the losing company lose their jobs and potentially > their way of life)? And while I'm on this analogy, even > soliers on the losing side may have certain rights, unlike the > free fall envisioned for individuals who lose their jobs > in the economy. Imagine if, if Lockhed Martin won, > they would have to provide food and medical care to the > Boeing workers in their POW camp? Or Lockheed Martin > could send each Boeing ee home with 5 acres and a mule and > let him keep his rifle, like Grant granted Lee's men.... > > \brad mccormick > > -- > Let your light so shine before men, > that they may see your good works.... (Matt 5:16) > > Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thes 5:21) > > <![%THINK;[SGML+APL]]> Brad McCormick, Ed.D. / [EMAIL PROTECTED] > ----------------------------------------------------------------- > Visit my website ==> http://www.users.cloud9.net/~bradmcc/ > _______________________________________________ Futurework mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://scribe.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/futurework
